Research shows that exercising early in the morning or late at night may be most effective at preventing cancer.
Those who were more active at the beginning or end of the day had the lowest risk of developing colon cancer, a study found.
Experts say the findings suggest there are peak times for physical activity that could be used to design targeted cancer prevention strategies.
Researchers used data from the UK Biobank to assess 86,252 people aged 42 to 79, who tracked physical activity by wearing a device on their wrist known as an accelerometer.
They highlighted four activity patterns; continuous activity throughout the day, activity late in the day, activity in the morning and evening, and activity in the afternoon and at night.
During the five-year follow-up, 529 people were diagnosed with colon cancer.
Two daily peaks in activity – around 8am and 6pm – were ‘associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, over and above the benefits of overall physical activity’.
Those who exercised at that time reduced their chances of getting it by 11 percent, compared to those who were similarly active at other parts of the day.
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Lead researcher Professor Dr Michael Leitzmann from the University of Regensburg in Germany said: ‘Our study highlights that physical activity is not only important for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, but that the timing of peak activity during the day could play a crucial role to play.
‘By identifying specific times – early in the morning and late in the day – when physical activity is most beneficial, our findings open new avenues for targeted prevention strategies.
‘If confirmed by future research, this could provide a simple yet impactful way for individuals to further reduce their cancer risk through the timing of their exercise.’
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Britain, with an estimated 44,000 people developing the disease every year.
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Between the early 1990s and 2018, the number of adults aged 25 to 49 diagnosed with bowel cancer in Britain increased by a fifth (22 percent).
Dr. Helen Croker, deputy director of research and policy at the World Cancer Research Fund, which funded the study published in BMC Medicine, said this is further evidence that exercise is one of the best forms of prevention.
She said: ‘Being physically active is one of our recommendations for cancer prevention, and we know this reduces the risk of cancer.
‘These intriguing new findings offer potential for developing more specific recommendations, including patterns and timing of physical activity, for reducing cancer risk.’